Riddle Me This
by Chistarpax
Summary: During a calm period in the war, the bots on base are bored. They leave it up to the two humans on base, Chi and Kagalei, to curb their boredom. After a suggestion of what to do (and the promise of a 'prank pass' to each winner), several Mechs join in on the game. Let the riddles begin!
1. It Begins

Just a little fic I decided to do in order to get rid of writers block. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Chapter 1: It Begins

Review please!

~.~ ~.~

A normal day on the Ark meant that the rec-room was bustling with bots. But a normal day on the Ark when the Decepticon's haven't tried anything for three months meant that the rec-room was bustling with _**BORED**_ bots. Bored bots and two permanent human residents that is.

"For once I wish the 'cons would **do **_**something**_." Griped one bot as he sat down at the table that the two humans were sitting on.

"Cool it, sides." One of the humans, a 20 year old girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, sighed. "You don't really mean that, you're just bored is all."

"You got that right." Another bot, almost identical to the first, huffed as he took a seat.

"Come on, Sunny." The other human, a 22 year old woman with brown hair and blue eyes, stated. "There's got to be something you guys want to do that will get rid of the boredom."

The twins glanced at each other, and then back at the humans.

"You better believe that we are bored… but Prowl would put us in the brig for entertaining ourselves, Chi." Sideswipe stated.

"Not the place we want to be, I feel the need to say Kagalei." Sunstreaker added.

Chi rolled her blue eyes and flicked her blonde hair out of her face. "Then don't complain about being bored."

"Easy for you to say, the two of you have all sorts of things to keep you entertained." Sunstreaker said with slight annoyance.

"Fine… we'll play 'Riddle Me This'." Kagalei snapped. "Chi is like the mistress of riddles, so we'll see who can come up with the answers."

Chi sighed. "I am not a _mistress of riddles_… I just know a lot of them."

"How does this game play?" Ratchet asked as he stepped up to the table.

"I tell you a riddle, and then you have to answer it." Chi shrugged.

"Simple enough." Perceptor stated leaning over the divider behind the twins.

"What do ya get when ya answer tha riddle?" Jazz asked from behind the girls.

"The pride of figuring it out." Kagalei stated.

"That hardly seems worth it." Mirage appeared beside Ratchet, causing all occupants of the table to jump.

"Alright, whoever answers the riddles correctly gets a 'no prank pass' from me and Chi." Kagalei stated.

"I'm in then!" Red Alert stated from beside Perceptor.

"I'll join to." Ironhide huffed from beside Jazz.

"Anyone else want to join this little party?" Chi asked.

"I'll join!" Bumblebee grinned as he came over to the table.

"And Prowler joins too!"

"Jazz! One, my name is **Prowl**… and two, why would I join this game?" The SIC was shooting Jazz a glare.

"Cause it'll be fun Prowler!"

"I'm in!" Wheeljack's head fins lit up.

"I will join as well." Optimus rumbled from behind the group, earning a surprised glance from the others.

"Twelve players, twelve riddles… are you guys ready for the first one?" Chi asked before any other bot could jump in.

A chorus of 'yes' followed, albeit a reluctant 'yes' from Prowl, and Chi nodded.

"_**Long legs and bandy thighs**_

_**A little head and no eyes"**_

The group fell silent, waiting for Chi to continue.

"That's it." She said with a shrug. "First bot to answer correctly gets the 'prank passes' from us. But you cannot get more than one."

"That is the entire riddle?" Prowl asked with exasperation.

"Are you sure?" Ratchet added.

Kagalei nodded, she had heard this particular riddle before from Chi.

The group once again fell silent as they thought it through. Chi picked up her glass of soda and took a drink. The bots were actually slightly confused as to what it could be, she could tell by their expressions. The answer was something that both the humans and the bots used, so it should have been obvious.

But most riddles were like that.

"And there are no hints…"

Chi gave Bumblebee a look that told him how much of an idiot he was. "That would defeat the purpose of the riddle… it's supposed to test your intelligence and ability to think 'outside of the box' so to speak."

The minibot nodded and went back into thought.

"And no looking it up on the internet guys." Kagalei stated without looking up, but the two who were about to do just that flinched.

Chi picked up a human sized data pad that she normally carried with her. It held all of her drawings, including the one that she was working on at that moment.

The group sat in contemplation, and Chi got lost in her drawing. It was one of the entire Autobot faction on earth, and it had taken her quite a while to get the heights right. Now she was only adding color and a background.

Two hours later found them still thinking about what the answer to the riddle would be. Chi was two strokes of color away from finishing the picture when Perceptor suddenly sat up strait and grinned at her.

"A pair of tongs!" He stated excitedly.

Chi glanced up and blinked at Perceptor, all the bots were waiting for her to say if it was right or wrong.

"Correct." The blonde stated with a smile. "I thought you guys would never get it."

"How…"

"Think about it Prowl…" And Perceptor pulled up a hologram of a pair of tongs. "Long legs and bandy thighs, a little head and no eyes…"

The moment Perceptor pointed those out it was extremely obvious to the others.

"Next!" Sunstreaker stated.

Chi grinned with another nod.

"_**Only one color, but not one size**_

_**Stuck at the bottom, yet easily flies**_

_**Present in the sun, but not in the rain**_

_**Doing no harm, feeling no pain"**_

The bots sat back in contemplation, while Kagalei handed one of the 'prank passes' to Perceptor, who sat back and thought about this riddle after receiving it. He knew that he couldn't answer this one, but it was actually fun to decipher the answer.

Chi finished the picture and sent it to Kagalei so she could search for any mistakes, then started another one of the scene in front of her. She was a talented artist, but she didn't really want very many others to know of her talents.

Of course her sister and the twins knew, but they didn't count at that moment.

Chi was halfway through this drawing when Bumblebee suddenly perked up.

"A shadow."

Kagalei glanced up this time, and then nudged Chi. With a jump she glanced up at the surrounding bots.

"What?"

"The answer… it's a shadow." Bumblebee stated now that he had her attention.

"Correct." Chi responded with a nod, just as the bell for shift change went off. "We'll continue this later."

"Give us the riddle so that we can think about it while working." Jazz stated as the others stood up.

"Alright… here it goes

_**Little Nancy Etticoat**_

_**In a white petticoat**_

_**And a red nose**_

_**The longer she stands**_

_**The shorter she grows**_

Now get to your shifts."

The bots left with the riddle in the forefront of their processors.

"And you…" Chi turned to her sister that had volunteered her to entertain the small group of bots.

"Gotta go on shift with Sunstreaker!" And Kagalei ducked out of the room.

Chi glared after her sister, then sat down and began to work on her drawing again. The bots still tended to leave her off the shift list because of her temper… which is why they normally had her working with Ratchet.

She was way too much like that medic.

"Now I'm bored…" She finally muttered, then stood up and made her way outside. She was going to wait until the next shift change until she went back inside. She wanted to watch the sun rise.


	2. Halfway There

Chi jolted awake when her comm went off in her ear. She had fallen asleep halfway through the day shift and was twenty minutes late for the night one.

And there was an impatient Security director that wanted her in the rec-room for the riddle game.

: If I have to rip your comm out of your helm I will… so stop pinging it in my fragging ear. : -Chi

: I believe I have the answer to your riddle. : - Red Alert

Chi sat up slowly, and winced when she realized that she had one of the most beautiful sunburns that she had ever gotten.

: Did you fall asleep in the sun again? : -Ratchet

: Yeah, but it'll be gone by morning… : - Chi

: I'll get some ointment for it from the med-bay. Then I'll meet you in the rec-room. Red Alert is almost jumping with joy because he thinks he has the answer. : -Ratchet

: I'm going there now. : -Chi

Chi walked into the rec-room five minutes later, and immediately glared at the others when they started to laugh.

"It's not funny, so you can all stop the snickering."

"It's amusing." Kagalei grinned.

"And what is the answer you have come up with, Red Alert?" Chi changed the subject.

"A candle."

Chi paused, and then nodded solemnly. "Correct… now the next riddle.

_**What force and strength cannot get through,**_

_**I with a gentle touch can do,**_

_**And many in the streets would stand**_

_**Were I not a friend at hand.**_

Good luck boys!"

And Chi settled down for another wait. Ratchet entered the room with the ointment and had her repeat the riddle as his hologram spread the ointment on her shoulders. Her drawing from the night before was finished and Chi was left to decide what to draw at that point. She soon settled for a very intricate Autobot symbol. She hadn't drawn one of those for a while.

"I think I may have the answer." Optimus rumbled, but Chi was once again caught up in her drawing.

Kagalei rolled her eyes and gibb-smacked Chi on the back of the head. The blonde jolted and looked up at the others.

"What did I miss?"

"Nothing yet, Op thinks he has the answer." Kagalei sighed.

Chi blinked and looked up at the Autobot leader. "Your answer is?"

"A Key."

Chi grinned and nodded, the 'bot that she had thought would get that answer had gotten it. "Correct, Kagalei the prank pass please."

"Right, go ahead and throw out the next riddle."

Chi nodded.

"_**Round like an apple, deep like a cup,**_

_**Yet all the king's horses can't pull it up."**_

And Chi sat back again. The others had finally realized that she would sit back when she had finished reciting the riddle. So they no longer waited for her to state that she had finished the recitation.

Chi had moved on to a fantasy drawing that included the sun and moon when Ratchet made a noise similar to clearing ones throat.

"Yes Ratchet?" Chi asked without looking up from her drawing.

This caused all the mechs to stare at her; she hadn't picked up on any of their signs that they had an answer.

"He's scarier and he's my mentor… trust me, I notice when he wants my attention." Chi sighed and looked up at the medic.

Who only gave the others a smug smirk…

"A well." Ratchet stated non-chalantly.

"How is that even…" Prowl started, only for Jazz to explain it with a picture sent via comm.

"Next riddle please." The TIC called.

Chi sighed and nodded to Kagalei in confirmation of Ratchet's answer.

"_**Old Mother Twitchet had one eye,**_

_**And a long tail that she let fly,**_

_**And every time she went through a gap,**_

_**She left a bit of her tail in the trap."**_

With a smile at the others Chi sat back in her chair again, waiting patiently for the answer.

~two hours later~

Chi was dozing in her chair. She had finished the drawing of the Autobot symbol and her hand had started cramping. So she had put away her drawings and sat in the chair patiently. Then she had started to drift off… and ended up dozing.

"I got it! I got it!" Wheeljack was bouncing in his chair.

The outburst caused Chi to jump and fall out of her chair, which resulted in laughter from the others around her.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." She grumbled. "And what did you get?"

"It's a needle and thread!" Wheeljack stated with an excited flash of his head fins.

"That's right… Kagalei give him a pass please."

Kagalei had fallen asleep in her chair, so Chi smirked and gibb-smacked her. Which she soon regretted as the brown haired woman grabbed her wrist and had Chi pinned to the ground after being thrown over her shoulder.

"Pass… to Wheeljack please." Chi groaned, not even bothering to get mad at Kagalei.

"Sorry Chi." Kagalei laughed.

"Whatever… Here's the next riddle.

_**In marble walls as white as milk,**_

_**Lined with skin as soft as silk,**_

_**Within a fountain crystal clear,**_

_**A golden apple does appear.**_

_**No doors are there to this stronghold—**_

_**Yet thieves break in and steal the gold.**_

Have fun."

"It's an egg." Mirage stated before Chi could even sit back, leaving the blonde human woman to stare at him.

"That was… fast." She stated with a slightly impressed blink. "That's one of the harder ones for people to guess at. But you're correct."

Mirage nodded and took the prank pass that Kagalei offered to him.

"_**Black we are, and much admired,**_

_**Men seek for us if they're tired.**_

_**We tire horse, but comfort man,**_

_**Tell me this riddle if you can."**_

Kagalei blinked at Chi. She wasn't letting anyone get this one that quickly… if the look on Chi's face was any indication to go by.

Chi had sat back and was watching them closely… she was going to have to ask Mirage where he had heard that riddle before. She could tell by how quick the answer had come that he had encountered it at an earlier time.

It was only twenty minutes later when Ironhide let out a snort, alerting Kagalei to the fact that he had an answer. Chi was reading a report on the human sized data pad, and Kagalei had to poke her to get her attention.

"Who has the answer?"

"I do." Ironhide replied with a huff. "The answer is Coal."

Chi nodded and motioned for Kagalei to hand him the pass. "Next riddle comin at ya…

_**As I was going to St. Ives,**_

_**I met a man with seven wives,**_

_**Each wife had seven sacks,**_

_**Each sack had seven cats,**_

_**Each cat had seven kits.**_

_**Kits, cats, sacks, and wives,**_

_**How many were going to St. Ives?**_

This is where I'm stopping it tonight… we all need some proper recharge or sleep. Depending on your race."

Everybody nodded as Chi got up and prepared to go to her room.

"One."

The group paused and looked at Jazz, who was wearing his trademark grin. "The answer is One."

"Correct… Night guys." Chi stated.

~.~


	3. The End

Chi stretched and yawned as she entered the rec-room that night. A good twenty four hours of rest had made her more patient for the answers to the last three riddles that she was going to have to give.

"It's about time!" Sideswipe called as Chi climbed onto the table.

He got his response in a shoe to the faceplates.

"Here's the next riddle guys…" Chi smiled as she retrieved her shoe from where it had landed on the table in front of the front liner.

"_**A hill-full, a hole-full**_

_**You cannot catch a bowl-full."**_

And once again she sat back to wait for the answer. Almost thirty minutes later found her texting Kagalei from just a few feet away.

:: This is taking **forever**. :: -hatchets_apprentice

:: What did you expect, the answer to come as quick as Mirages? :: -sharpshooter#1

:: No, I found out that a Chinese guy asked him that riddle on a mission one day… that's how he got the answer so quick. :: hatchets_apprentice

:: I thought that was bothering you. :: -sharpshooter#1

:: Only slightly. :: -hatchets_apprentice

:: We didn't say that they couldn't use past experience. :: -sharpshooter#1

:: It's kinda hard to not use past experience. :: -hatchets_apprentice

:: Yeah, and it looks like Sideswipe has an answer of some sort for that riddle. :: -sharpshooter#1

Chi glanced up and saw that all the mechs were staring at her.

"Sorry guys, wasn't paying attention. What did you say?"

"I said that its fog… right?"

Chi sighed at the hopeful tilt to Sideswipe's voice, and nodded. Kagalei handed him his 'prank pass' and sat back down. Twenty minutes later, Chi still hadn't stated another riddle. Those around the table were starting to get bored and some were about to ask Chi what the next riddle was.

"_**Black within, red without**_

_**With four corners round about."**_

Chi grinned at the blank expressions around her, and then sat back to wait for an answer to come. She wasn't about to let them, specifically Sunstreaker and Prowl, get this one that easily. It was going to be interesting to see who it was that would come up with the answer first.

Nearly two hours later found the mechs still sitting at the table and Chi grumbling as Kagalei beat her at yet another game of chess.

"One of these days, I swear I will beat you at this stupid little game." The blonde woman finally ground out.

"Keep dreaming sister dear." Kagalei laughed good naturedly.

"A chimney!"

Both women glanced up at the yellow front-liner's answer, and Chi grinned widely.

"Correct!" She motioned for the prank pass to be handed out and then turned to Prowl. "Alright Prowl, here's one for you…

_**What walks on four legs in the morning,**_

_**Two legs by mid-day,**_

_**And three legs by evening?"**_

All of the mechs stared at Chi, who was grinning away. She knew that this one would stump the SIC, and waited for him to give it up.

"Could the answer be a Human Being?" Prowl asked quietly after only two minutes of contemplation.

Chi's jaw dropped and she just stared at him before nodding once and then motioning for him to explain.

"A human crawls when born, therefore they walk on four legs in the morning of their life. However, once they reach a certain age they walk on two legs… meaning that they do so in the middle of their life, or mid-day. By the time the evening of their life is beginning, most begin to use a cane. Using it as a third leg of sorts." Prowl stated proudly as he took the pass from Kagalei.

"Correct. You answered the riddle of the sphinx!" Chi laughed.

Only seconds after the laugh escaped her lungs, all of the alarms went off in the base. Meaning that the Decepticons were attacking, and marking the end of the game Riddle me This.

"Go kick some Decepticon skidplate guys!" Chi yelled and made a shooing motion with her hands. "The med bay will be prepared when you get back!"

The mechs were gone without any further reason to go, and Chi turned to Kagalei.

"The next time they get bored… don't you _**dare**_suggest that game." She seethed at her older sister.

Kagalei only laughed before following Chi to the med bay to help prepare for the aftermath of the battle.

~.~ ~.~

And that's it guys! Hope you enjoyed it!

~Chistarpax


End file.
